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Very nice scope...Going to be a keeper with those specs indeed. Freddie.

Or whatever works best for them their particular equipment physical limitations and so on, enjoy the tea and eeva of course...

Nice result, I'm still using eye pieces mostly for planets and moon...too much processing with cameras for planets and my 8" dob visually has trumped any short exposure single frames I have taken with the zwo's by a large margin...

Has me already curious what has landed on waxing cresent portion of the Moon 😉 Nice challenge indeed... Edit ; "Curiosity" got the best of me and I thought to share a little with my fellow runners up... Clickable Missions Map Here : https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_landing Best of Luck and Clear Skies Everyone! Freddie.

Welcome to SGL Mark, Best of Luck and Clear Skies of course... Freddie.

When my asi390 arrived it had dust on the sensor, sharp dust bunnies appeared when trying eeva with it. Removed the protect window and used a qtip to remove the dust and all was good, same senario with my asi385 I don't blame zwo as it's dust and its everywhere...

A couple more hours and I'll give Jupiter and Saturn a go, got intermittent cloud Sunday and did ok on them but just ok and really think I can do better even with them so low. Did hit the Andromeda triple M57 M51 M63 and a few Ngc's before and after the planetary stint on Sunday but seeing was mediocre and transparency less than adequat and cloud almost ever present, the Milkyway did brighten just as the bird's began singing though gotta love when that happens... The rainy season just keeps dragging into summer here and the last two years have been wet all summer, summer usually means dead grass and hot dry air here so things are outside of normal and I'm hoping the trend ends soon. Freddie. Haha, Spoke too soon...2 separate systems now approaching looks like I'm all wet again and maybe all night. I"'ll be up all night anyway so if there's any chance my scopes are on wheels 😉

Several years ago before becoming disabled I ordered two high end chrome roof rack slides for automobiles for use on my 12 and 16" dobs as counterweight slides, my circumstances left them stored in the garage rafters until now and your photo reminded me of them. Thanks for the reminder...They can be cut to length and the endcaps re attached so I've got quite a system just have to get that sorted. Can't believe I forgot a $200 purchase, must be the injury trama or maybe just old age I guess...

I have seen this with my st80 and reducer...

These are just the set rings that hold common 1.25 filters or reducers in place, just the threaded ring with 2 digits on one side. Just make sure to face those digits outward and away from the reducer. Your reducer has one of these threaded rings holding it in it's case, I borrowed my second one from a cheap #12 filter that I had laying about.

Using less focal reduction provides better images when using my st80 with asi385, I removed the reducer from it's case and inserted it in the camera's nosepiece...It's held there by two set rings that allow for adjustment within the length of it's internal threading. Easy way to adjust or finetune reduction or achieve focus. Freddie...

Very nice Geordie, Do load the image and take a closer look at this one folks...

Welcome to SGL, Best of Luck and Clear Skies! Freddie...

The coolest thing I found to balance a small dobsonian is magnetic tape, they sell it in rolls two inches an one inch wide. You don't tape it to the scope but to itself then place it on the scope. Just wrap a strip around the tube adhesive side up then cut a matching strip and apply it bonding both adhesive sides together. Must be done on the tube so it takes it's shape, I did this for countering my laser, 8x50 finder and extended dew/light shield on my 8" dob and it works great simply sliding it up or down or removing it to balance...Very inexpensive, functional, uniform weighting and good looking solution applicable for many telescopes and counterweights not just dobsonian tubes not to mention this streamlined approach will not get in the way of rockerbox components or cooling fan wiring when used on a dobsonian. Did I mention it will never scratch the finish either 😉 Here is a pic... Best of Luck and Clear Skies of course Everyone! Freddie...

Patients and consistent observation wins the night again, this hobby has always reminded me of fishing in that regard. Cool you had a "bit" of success Stu, I rolled the dob out last night but unrelenting haze to the south with strorms passing through northern Illinois prevented using it, will try again tonight...

Some like to believe the Universe is a projection or a hologram or it was constructed in some way, my belief is it's certainly constructed but by the mechanics of physics, mass, elemental composision, action and reaction of those criteria in complete chaos with our perspective being orginized chaos as we look from afar in ultra short exposures of time. If one could view the universe from overhead as a giant in real time and watch it from its tiny beginning to its massive end all taking place as an object 3 feet spherical in a few seconds it would become quite clear the unorganized reaction before us. Freddie.

Awesome stuff Bill, "no astronomical darkness" bites the dust in that shot, nice capture indeed... Thanks for the links too. Freddie.

Hello Nikki...Welcome to SGL, Best of Luck with that Future Telescope and Clear Skies of course... Freddie.

Very nice, seeing objects appear onscreen can be quite entertaining doing visual mostly I never quite caught that until starting in eeva and now like you I have been bitten and the only cure is clear skies and more kit, alot of fumbling about and there is the learning curve too but very well worth what is revealed. Best of Luck with it all... Freddie.

I hear you on the mount issue, I run an alt az mount with slow motion controls for my 90mm f11 refractor and to be honest upgrading to a 102mm f11 likely would be a bit shaky on my 20# capacity gso mount due to the overall length/weight of the scope and it's corresponding moment arm effect though at some point an Ed doublet of some shorter focal length but similar aperture will be upgraded eventually as I'm not getting any younger lol... My 90mm weighs in now at 8 pounds due to a new original style synta focuser and light weight dovetail & diagonal replacing the heavier items I had in place for some years due to the disability thing coming about, the scope only pushes about 120x in average seeing so I have the crosshairs in the 50mm right angle finder removed so that larger targets can be viewed without obstruction at widefield and due to the limited mag of the telescope crosshairs are of little need to an experienced observer. The scope has for years provided a quick and easy alternative to my larger scopes and has complimented them well. For a filter idea I would suggest a neodymium coated moon & skyglow filter as it's just a great filter for Jupiter and Mars providing enhanced views of the grs and other details of those two worlds, if I could only keep one filter for those two planets it would be the Moon & Skyglow. When observing the planets the meridian will mark their highest altitude and this marker can be enabled in Stellarium or similar planetarium software, when observing planets I stick to one hour before and after the target passes it but not all observer's have the unobstructed southern views I have and I get that. When using my 200mm dobsonian for Jupiter, Saturn and Mars I do incorporate a Dispersion Corrector and do fully see an improved view using the device and have not peered through a larger scope without one installed while visually observing bright planets in some time and inturn have lost the ability or need for reliable comparison. Some swear by them others see no advantage I just use them and do not promote them as alot of variables are in play observing the bright planets and these devices can be very confusing and overly complicated for those just starting out. Do try the Moon & Skyglow though if you haven't already, I think you will like it... Freddie.

I read your post over several times James but can't quite figure out wich pressure you are referring, I will assume here you are referring to weather in the UK and your wife is just providing great advice 😉

The US population is 50/50 with 50% residing in the major cities and the rest living in rural areas and the major city land mass combined would not fill the state of Texas so massive open countryside with way less LP and an acre or more the average land parcel in the countryside mine being .86. People who have larger gardens and more room for outbuildings and less LP would indeed be more inclined to larger apertures...Their could be other input criteria but my guess is that these are the core tenants. Freddie.

Even worse my wife won't let me buy the Ts let alone the Tak and this thread has me wanting them both...

Another nice one Ibbo!